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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

I've used vnc and vnc might be a solution if I could configure it correctly. I don't know and that's why I'm asking. Searches don't exactly turn up definitive answers.

I have a laptop and a pc on a home lan. I want to be at the laptop and share the pc's current desktop. i.e. say I have a program running on the desktop. I want to be able to be in the basement with my laptop and check in on the desktop and see how things are going.
I can run tightvnc but that gives me a seperate desktop. I want to share the same one. X:0
hope that makes sense, tia.

so you want to be working on the same desktop regardless of the machine??

exactly. I can ssh in and check what's going on, but when the application is gui and I want to do some work with it from the other machine, I can't. x0rfbviewer seems to be able to deliver this and I've tried it but the laptop can't seem to push the display.

Look into my suggestion of ssh and x-forwarding. you would ssh to the machine, run the GUI app and it would appear on your desktop, using the other machiens resources, and just transmitting to you (as best i believe).

However when i set up VNC i could do pretty much anything to the other machine i wanted since it gave me a window with full access to the other machines desktop etc., it wasn't view only.

With all due respect I think you're missing the point. The guy wants to connect to his current X desktop with all the currently running apps on it. X forwarding is friggin' amazing but that is not what he is asking for.

My 2 cents would be to use krfb if you use KDE or vino if you're on Gnome. I can't vouch for vino because I don't gnome but krfb is really simple to run: start the program (from the commandline, a 'run' dialog or whatever and click configure. Then make sure it's set to accept uninvited connections, and enter a password the client should use. I don't think you have to have to use the 'announce over the network' feature but if you're on a local lan it can't do much harm I guess. Also allow the client to take control of the computer. Apply and close.